Understanding Stakeholders’ Views and the Influence of the Socio-Cultural Dimension on the Adoption of Solar Energy Technology in Lebanon

Houda Elmustapha,Thomas Hoppe,Hans Bressers

doi:10.3390/su10020364

Houda Elmustapha, Thomas Hoppe + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su10020364

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Abstract

In light of climate change and global commitments, a great amount of programs and policies have been implemented by governments targeting the diffusion of renewable energy technologies. Successful diffusion relies on the understanding, persuasion and acceptance by consumers and other stakeholders. This article investigates the views, roles and influence of stakeholders on the adoption of solar energy technology in Lebanon. The main research questions are: What are the stakeholders’ views, roles and influence on the diffusion process of solar energy technologies? And are specific socio-cultural factors therein that influenced adoption? The influence of different stakeholders (end users, public representatives, banking sector, suppliers, consultants and NGOs) was assessed via qualitative data analysis, in particular semi-structured interviews. Our research perspective combines grounded and critical theoretical approaches with a case study research design allowing for a semi-inductive process to elaborate and complement new insights to the current body of literature on adoption of clean technology innovation, with a particular focus on the socio-cultural dimension. The results show that contextual factors, specifically related to the social, cultural, geographic and market dimensions, played a crucial role in shaping market development, especially in relation to the uptake of solar energy technology by different consumer groups. Based on the results of this study we argue that more scholarly attention should be awarded to the influence of the socio-cultural dimension and stakeholders’ perspectives on adoption of renewable energy technology.

Highlights

The rapid growth in global energy demand, alongside the decrease in gas and oil reserves and the problem of the global warming, has led many countries to formulate policies to promote the uptake of renewable energy technologies
National government and donor initiatives contribute to the diffusion of renewable energy technology in developing countries such as Lebanon, consumers play a crucial role in the process by actual deciding whether to adopt or not [2]
We argue that socio-cultural factors are of great importance in understanding the innovation diffusion process of clean technologies like solar water heaters (SWHs) and PV

Summary

Introduction

The rapid growth in global energy demand, alongside the decrease in gas and oil reserves and the problem of the global warming, has led many countries to formulate policies to promote the uptake of renewable energy technologies. Developing countries, face many problems to do so They often suffer from a lack of resources, a dearth of political will and challenging national priorities that prevent the establishment of facilitative action [1]. This article presents a case study on innovation adoption of solar energy technologies (i.e., solar thermal systems and solar photovoltaics in this study) by households and business firms in the developing Middle Eastern country of Lebanon. This choice reflects the fact that solar energy technologies have a large potential in the country, given its rich solar resources. National government and donor initiatives contribute to the diffusion of renewable energy technology in developing countries such as Lebanon, consumers play a crucial role in the process by actual deciding whether to adopt or not [2]

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